Level 4 advice and support for veterinarians
18 August 2021
We are now at Alert Level 4 and stay at home requirements are in place. Veterinary and animal health and welfare services are permitted business services and can operate.
PLEASE NOTE: under this Health Order, clients/customers may NOT enter your premises. This is a change from the last time alert levels were raised.
Also a Cabinet decision today confirmed that masks must be worn by all customers and workers at essential services open during Alert Level 4 lockdown.
Practising veterinarians will have already received 2 emails from us this morning (apologies for the typo in the first!) which serve as proof that you are a practising veterinarian. We recommend you print this and carry it with you when travelling for the purpose of veterinary work.
Rules and guidance
The requirements are very similar to those under previous Alert Level changes and the standards and guidance on the VCNZ COVID-19 page and NZVA’s COVID-19 page. We have reviewed our joint statement on operating veterinary services at Alert Levels 3 and 4 and VCNZ’s Statement on Veterinary Medicines and Authorisation at Alert Levels 3 and 4 and both apply to the current situation (both can be found on VCNZ’s COVID-19 page).
For more information on general COVID-19 requirements for businesses, please visit Unite Against Covid-19, the MBIE website and MPI’s website .
If you encounter specific, animal welfare related issues that require a Government response, these can be directed to [email protected] .
There is still no strong evidence to indicate that animals play a significant role in the spread of COVID-19 variants.
Testing of domestic animals is not required - if you feel that an animal does require testing, please contact MPI on 0800 80 99 66.
Business support
The Government has confirmed that business support measures will be activated. These include a Wage Subsidy Scheme which applies when there is a regional or national move to Alert Level 3 or 4 for a period of 7 days and the Resurgence Support Payment to support businesses with one-off costs due to an Alert Level increase. More information on this will shortly be available on the Ministry of Social Development’s website .
Personal support
It’s vital that we look after ourselves and our colleagues during this challenging time. There are wellbeing and support resources available on the NZVA and VCNZ websites and we strongly encourage you to contact either organisation if you need additional support.
Businesses must take care of their teams. There is guidance for business leaders available, including guidance from Worksafe, the Government Health & Safety Lead and the Mental Health Foundation .
We are in regular contact with the Government to ensure that as much clarity as possible is available for veterinarians and businesses. If you are encountering issues or have questions, please contact us and we will do our best to help answer them.